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i got lucky and the guy before me did the seals and bearings. so i will just leave them and put it back together. i just bought the kit for the outside seals and gaskets and as a bonus i have spare oil seals ;0)

Well if the inner seals are in similar condition to the outer seals, then they are well past their prime. The sat really sat outside since 1986. God know how long before that any no maintenance was done on it.

One of the things I want to do once the car is done is a Route 66 trip with the family, so I want to make sure I can go through everything I possible can (budget and time allowing).

the bearing grease on mine is still golden, never used. the guy i bought it from had all this done and parked it....weird. but the inside seals look good and fresh and the bearings i don't think have ever been up to highway speeds.....LOL. seems like our projects are about to meet...i am starting on my rear diff tonight.

later dude,

Hank

We did the route 66 trek a couple of summers ago, from Missouri to Albuquerque. Much of it is hard to get to, and some of it is Interstate only; you'll probably want to plan back routes unless you feel like 70 mph.

I did like the various museums, each state and most towns seemed to have a Route 66 museum. One place I really liked was Taos, New Mexico, north of Albuquerque.

I grew up in the High Desert of Calif, and the remains of Route 66 ran though my town. So I know the remains of it are pretty fragmented. 66 went from little town to little town following the topography of the local area. When they built the interstate system of I-15 in Calif and I-40 across the country, this pretty much drew a straight line bypassing a lot of these little towns (aka the plot of the Disney Movie "Cars"). So coming down the I-15 from Nevada to Calif across the Mojave desert, you will see that the 66 cross the interstate then meanders into the mountains, then eventually back across the 15, and sometime they are the same road. There are also orphan sections of road that really go nowhere anymore. So I will plan it out and work in as many appropriate side trips as I can. There are some great little towns out there that the traveling masses just pass on my at 80mph. One of my favorite little towns is Oatman, AZ (near Bullhead City/Laughlin, NV). Basically an old mining town in the foothills, and now tourist ghost town. Route 66 literally runs right down the middle of this little one street town. There are wild mules/donkeys that roam around. A great piece of Americana that is missed by the folks traveling I-40 10 miles away.

It would probably take the trip in the spring while the temps are still comfortable in the desert sections. But that is still at least 2 years away.

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You seem to be progressing rather fast; you must be including a year of test driving around your area before the big trip.

I sure did like the movie CARS - in fact my wife collects the diecast toy cars from the movie, has over 120 of them.

What I like about those lost towns is all the architecture; some of the cool art-deco and kitschy buildings are still there.

Trivia - there was supposed to be a Packard in the movie; the town Mayor, scan from "The Art of Cars" book is attached.

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Well the parts I ordered from Kanter arrived today. So back in the garage after I got home from work. The outer seals that came with the real seal kit are just the seals and not the entire plate like the Max Merritt pictured version. So I pressed the new Kanter seals into my existing plates.

The drivers side axle came out pretty easy with a little tug from a slide hammer. I pulled the axle out and set it on top of the trash bin to keep from getting grease on anything. I then cleaned what was left of the bearing grease for the wearing. I am glad I pulled the axles to repack the bearing as the grease that was left was pretty much liquefied. I cleaned up the housing, and installed the the new inner seal. I then repacked the axle bearing and reinstalled the axle. It then was too dark to continue as the light on the passenger side of the garage is not as good.

I also finished painting the backing plates, drums, and also media blasted and painted the rear hardware. I need to source a new parking brake drum spring, as one side had a broken spring.

I also got the replacement water pump from Kanter. Time to send the old one back and recover my core charge.

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I must say the the gear oil that is in my Diff is the smellest stuff ever. I must have scrubbed my hands 30 times and I can still smell it.

After I have the rear axles back in, I am going to change the Diff fuild. Any recommendation for fluid on my '54 Clipper?

I've heard that some of the old rear end oil actually used animal fats in it. So when you open up a rear end thats been sealed for awhile, WHOA!! it is pretty rancid.

is this true?

SAE85W-140 high performance gear oil is an appropriate lubricant and is offered by many different manufacturers; i usually buy Pennzoil or Valvoline in 5 gallon cans. I've used this in hypoid differentials from the late 20s and up (except 1956 Twin Traction) for decades, never a problem.

Many of the older gear oils had phosphorous and sulfur-based antiwear compounds and the gradual degradation of these is what causes the odor you noted. It sure can stink.

I also use the same gear oil in all standard transmissions from 1932 and up, and also the steering gear boxes.